The Canary Project: Curbing Youthful Distracted Driving

I am not unmindful that, in this business, I profit from the misfortune of others. Sometimes when clients are asking me questions about medical treatment I tell them that what is good for you (getting better quickly) is bad for your legal case, and vice-versa. Honestly, I wish that all of my cases were small, basic soft-tissue cases that resolved after a short week or two of treatment.

But they aren’t.

We see the worst of the worst. We settled one case earlier this year where a gentleman was minding his own business at a stop light, and he was hit from behind by a woman who first claimed that she blacked out, then later hired an expert to state that she fell asleep because of undiagnosed sleep apnea (amazingly, if proven, that is a complete defense to responsibility). The poor guy was in shock trauma and had many surgeries, including one to remove a section of his bowel. That’s a situation he will never totally recover from. Fortunately, there was a good insurance policy, and the case settled before trial for over $700,000.00. Clearly, the defense didn’t place much stock in that argument.

All of this is to say that most accidents are preventable. The most preventable accidents nowadays are distracted driving accidents, particularly those where cell phones are the culprits. The ingenuity of tech-folks in finding ways for parents to combat youthful law-breaking is encouraging. One nice app we’ve come across is the Canary Project. It can notify parents when their child is in a speeding car or a car that goes out-of-bounds. It sends alerts when children talk or text behind the wheel. It can even “ping” your child so you know where he or she is at any given time. It costs somewhere between $10.00 and $15.00 for life.

There are other apps out there, and one thing this one doesn’t do is block incoming calls and texts. There might be good safety reasons to keep that feature on, but we wish Canary gave parents the option.

My kids aren’t old enough for cell phones yet, and they are certainly not old enough to drive. But, even at age 3.5 and 2, they have demonstrated love and aptitude for my cell phone, laptop and iPad. I didn’t grow up with the cool gagets that they will grow up, and I feel a strong pull from my cell phone when I’m driving. It’s going to be worse for them, and as a parent, my job is to protect them.

Questions about a distracted driving lawsuit? Contact our personal injury lawyers at 443.850.4426, or send us a message online.